La Cumbre Junior High School Theatre named after Late Principal Jo Ann Caines
The La Cumbre Junior High School Theatre has been officially named the “Jo Ann Caines Theatre.”
The Santa Barbara Unified School District took action on Tuesday to name the theatre in honor of Jo Ann Caines’ legacy and fierce leadership to the school.
Jo Ann Caines passed away on June 6, 2018, after more than thirty years with the school district. Caines’s career started and ended at La Cumbre.
“It has been said that Jo Ann Caines’ heart and spirit belong at the school where the halls were her home, and countless staff and students felt as if she raised them as her own,” according to the press release.
The naming was proposed by Board Member Kate Parker who had served on the board for 12 years and saw Caines’ work in action when she was principal.
“La Cumbre Junior High was really struggling and came close to being shut down before Jo Ann started there as principal,” said Parker. “Her leadership and the incredible work of her staff really turned the school around and have made it an educational gem.”
The Jo Ann Caines Theatre is the third largest theatre in Santa Barbara in capacity. In 2013, the theatre underwent a major restoration and modernization that returned it to its original grandeur.
